160 “TRAVELS TO DISCOVER: 
ever lofe their leaves, but are either covered with fruit; 
flower, or foliage the whole year ; indeed, abundantly with 
all three during the fix months fair weather. The Boha- 
bab, indeed, called, in the Amharic language, Dooma, lofes 
its leaf; it is the largeft tree in Abyflinia; the trunk is ne- 
ver high.; it diminifhes very regularly from the top to the 
bottom, but not beautifully; it has the appearance of a 
jarge cannon, and puts out a multitude of ftrong branches, 
which do not fall low, or nearly horizontal, but follow a di- 
rection, making all of them fmaller angles than that of 45° 
The fruit is of the fhape of a melon, rather longer for its 
thicknefs ; within are black feeds in each of the cells, in- 
to which it is divided, and round them a white fubftance,. 
very like fine fugar, which is fweet, with a {mall degree of 
very pleafant acid. I never faw it either in leaf or flower ; the 
fruit hang dry upon the branches when they are iene 
of both. The wood of this tree is foft and fpungy, and of 
no ufe. The wild bees perforate the trunk, and lodge their 
honey in the holes made in it; and this pons is preferred 
to any other in Abyfiinia. 
BeautTirouL and pleafant, however, as this river is, like 
every thing created, it has its difadvantages, From the 
falling of the firft rains in March till November it is death 
to fleep in the country adjoining to it, both within and 
without its banks; the whole inhabitants retire and live in 
villages on the top of the neighbouring mountains; and 
thefe are all robbers and aflaffins, who defcend from their 
habitations on the heights to lie in wait for, and plunder 
-the travellers that pafs. _Notwithftanding great pains have 
been Bs by Michael, his fon, and grandfon, governors of 
Th tigre 
